Space Manufacturing Operations Lead

Virgin Galactic; Mesa (AZ); On-site; USD 81,000 - 123,000; Full time

Job summary

Virgin Galactic is seeking an experienced Associate Manufacturing Manager to oversee manufacturing execution. The role involves planning, scheduling, coordinating, and executing all aspects of our manufacturing operation across facilities, while ensuring compliance with policies and safety standards.

The position requires leading teams, managing budgets, and driving continuous improvement in lean processes to meet schedule and quality targets in a high-rel environment.

Qualifications

• Associate’s degree in related field or equivalent experience.
• Minimum of 6 years’ experience in an aerospace or high‑reliability field with 3 years of leading others.
• Demonstrated leadership experience with production, assembly, and systems integration teams, ideally in aerospace/manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Influences projects, technicians, or inter-departmental functions to achieve goals or solve problems.
• Manages budgets for projects and departments within Manufacturing.
• Motivates, develops, and guides the Manufacturing Team through leadership of technicians.
• Coordinates assigned project(s) across team and departments.
• Develops, plans, and maintains a strategic build plan for the program with Engineering and Manufacturing teams.
• Drives safety behavior and adherence to regulations and PPE requirements.
• Ensures on-schedule delivery by prioritizing work and aligning roles with production schedule.
• Collaborates with cross-functional teams to ensure vehicles meet design and quality standards.

Skills

Leadership

Manufacturing Leadership

Project Management

Scheduling

Budget management

Cross-functional collaboration

Problem solving

Lean manufacturing

Communication skills

Analytical skills

Education

Associate’s degree or equivalent experience

Tools

MS Excel

Manufacturing dashboards

Job description

Virgin Galactic is seeking an experienced Associate Manufacturing Manager to oversee manufacturing execution. The role involves planning, scheduling, coordinating, and executing all aspects of our manufacturing operation across facilities, while ensuring compliance with policies and safety standards.

The position requires leading teams, managing budgets, and driving continuous improvement in lean processes to meet schedule and quality targets in a high-rel environment.